Tag Archive: race

As if Dennis Saffran didn’t have enough problems trying to get from Douglaston to Whitestone without a GPS, he’s lost all local GOP “muscle” for his bid to replace Dan Halloran in CD19.

By aligning with a paper tiger, Dennis Saffran might as well throw in the towel and avoid the embarrassment on Election Day.

According to a North Queens GOP insider, word on the street is that Dennis Saffran is getting no support from the Queens Republican County organization and relying on a skeletal campaign staff from Nassau county.

There was a time when Dennis Saffran was seen as a rising star, but those days are over. The rift allegedly began when Saffran publicly switched his support mid-primary from John Catsimatidis, who was supported by the Queens GOP, to Joe Lhota and thus aligning himself with whom many insiders call one of the biggest pompous and delusional politicos in Queens county, none other than power-hungry boy wonder Eric Ulrich.

Digging a little deeper, a “friendship” was quickly born. Rumor has it Saffran and Councilman Ulrich became best friends, at least that’s what Saffran was lead to believe — Mr. Saffran has been overheard taking multiple calls from Ulrich under the auspices of Ulrich offering this seldom-seen opportunist his amateurish “advice,” which Saffran bought hook, line, and sinker. As a matter of fact, Ulrich has been seen in this northeast Queens district more times than Saffran who has been missing in action for the past 10 years, but that’s not the point here. Saffran’s switch was a political embarrassment — and now when the time has come when he needs help on the ground and volunteers, he’s not getting anything, resorting to second-rate campaign staff from Nassau and Suffolk county that don’t even know the district, but that’s still not the point. In the final days leading up to the election, his campaign has certainly atrophied in desperate need of the limited resources he could have gotten from the Queens GOP, but they’re not coming.

Questions remain. Did Saffran really think aligning himself with Eric Ulrich would help him in the North? Considering the storied history of Ulrich and his cronies resorting to a barrage of endless legal tricks and political maneuvering to steal control of the Queens GOP, lining himself up with Ulrich would have severe political consequences and it wouldn’t be that hard to foresee this would be a huge mistake to come back and cost him — especially considering the GOP is headquartered in CD 19 — but obviously he didn’t get the message. And let’s not forget the Southern GOP rebels are going to have enough trouble with Democrat Lew Simon, he may win so how exactly are they going to help Saffran? As it turns out, no one is. And Saffran can only thank his own imbecility.

Meanwhile, and here’s the ironic part, Ulrich made his disdain of Saffran crystal clear to political insiders. Still, questions remain like aren’t there potholes on Cross Bay Blvd to worry about? How can you serve constituents while you’re busy pretending to be a party boss and meddling in elections on the other side of town?

Ulrich has zero influence in this part of Queens, but no one told Saffran and now he’s screwed on all sides.

Carrie Solages is running for Legislature in Nassau County. You should support him.

It’s not in Queens, but readers have encouraged me to look into the case of Carrie Solages, a Queens born Democrat running for Nassau County’s third legislative district in Elmont, Long Island that borders our borough.

They are the legislative arm of Nassau County. Like a City Council Member, but across the border.

Carrie’s campaign has faced the malevolent thrust of the GOP machine. The powers that be gave a tacit endorsement to send thug Vinny Prisco to harass the campaign with racist and sexist taunts, allegedly. While opponent James Ciotti, a Republican is under damage control, the Carrie campaign is moving forward.

Carrie is asking tough questions:

“How should the county solve its budget crisis? Should the police unions and the Civil Service Employees Association make contract concessions? Should county services be cut? Should there be a tax increase? Should the County eliminate its guarantee to refund other taxing districts’ (including school districts) share of property taxes paid in error due to County assessment errors?

This is an exciting time for our community to get real jobs that we need and have a real economic boost which we are desperate for,” Carrie said in an email.

Carrie is an attorney, former Bronx prosecutor and lifelong resident of Elmont. He graduated Georgetown University where he studied International History. He is also the former vice president of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association. He was born in Jamaica, Queens and raised in Elmont.

Carrie has grown wary of politics as usual and decided to throw his hat in the ring to bring Nassau County in the 21st Century. He has a plan to bring jobs into the community and is an avid supporter of programs to support young students. Quality of life issues are a top concern, as is zoning, two critical issues a local legislative candidate should always include as part of their proposal for county government.

Cuts will be tough this year, they are all across New York state. Carrie knows we have to make a sacrifice, but these cuts should come from the top, not from public transportation and first responders. Privatization is not the answer.

Carrie is the reform candidate running against the machine.

Queens Politics makes it a point to endorse candidates that are courageous enough to standup in the face of adversity. Elect Carrie and it will help change the state-wide balance of power in our favor. For these reasons and more, Queens-Politics is proud to endorse Carrie Solages for Nassau County Legislator.